Two minutes away from being shut out for the 2nd consecutive home game, the PWHL Seattle Torrent got some unexpected – and painful – help from the New York Sirens. Seattle scored twice on the power play in the final 1:24 for a thrilling 2-1 first franchise victory, before 8,622 screaming fans Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena.
With 3:59 left, Torrent defender Anna Wilgren was sent head-first into the corner boards by Kristýna Kaltounková, the first overall pick in the 2025 Draft. After video review, Kaltounková was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for the check from behind.
Former Siren Alex Carpenter finally dented the opposition net, potting a rebound of Hannah Bilka’s shot with 1:24 left. The Siren’s Kristin O’Neill breaking her stick didn’t hurt.
22 seconds later, with 1:02 left, Carpenter and Torrent captain Hilary Knight whacked away at a loose puck in the New York crease. And whacked. And whacked. And whacked a final time, with Knight adjudged last to touch the puck as it squirmed across the goal line.
Because of the major penalty, New York remained shorthanded and never mounted an effort to retie the game. The Torrent improve to 1-1-1 in their expansion season.
Carpenter All That And A Bag Of Chips
“Carps will have a chip on her shoulder,” Torrent coach Steve O’Rourke prophetically said of Carpenter before the game. “She’ll come ready to show that she should have been protected.” Carpenter is New York’s all-time leading scorer, producing 43 points in 50 career games before signing with Seattle and being named alternate captain. “For her, it won’t be nerves, but having an edge out there.”
I asked Carpenter about her coach’s comments after the game. “He knows me so well. Obviously, when you play your former team, you always have a chip on your shoulder. It was great to be able to do that for our fan base here. It shows the true character of our team.”
1st Period
The opening seven minutes were played primarily in the Torrent defensive zone. Seattle killed off an Emily Brown interference penalty 15 seconds into the game. They were unable to keep Paetyn Levis from snapping a shot at 3:16 past goalie Hannah Murphy, playing her first pro game.
Shots in the period favored New York 8-3, but a late Sirens puck-over-the-glass penalty will afford Seattle 1:40 of power play time to start the middle frame.
2nd Period
With Corinne Schroeder sitting second chair, she won’t get the chance to show off her new Torrent helmet. (Up until now, she’s been using the Sirens lid she wore last season.)
From PWHL pregame notes: “Her new mask has Pacific Northwest imagery, including Mt. Rainier, the Space Needle, and Seattle skyline. It also has her classic bricks, in line with every mask she’s worn since her first college season. The bricks in this version replicate a seawall holding back waves.”
The Torrent don’t register a shot on goal during their 2nd power play, and soon after are denied despite a netfront scramble.
A shot by NY’s Jincy Roese dings the far left post, keeping the Seattle deficit at one. Later, Murphy makes two fine stops, on Allyson Simpson’s open look, and Anne Cherkowski on a Sirens 3-on-2 rush. Murphy, a 5-foot-10 former Colgate Raider, was selected in the 2nd round of the 2025 PWHL Draft, the first goalie taken. (Kayle Osborne, New York’s goalie, also played for Colgate.)
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Torrent captain Hilary Knight has two grade-A chances on the same shift. Her first shot sails high, and her second, as she’s skating unopposed through the right circle, is smothered by Osborne into her crest.
Defender Brown takes a smart holding penalty to prevent a breakaway by Sarah Fillier. On the Sirens power play, Fillier gets off a high-danger shot, and rebound try in close, but Murphy doesn’t yield. The Torrent rookie goalie made 10 saves while shorthanded (of her 23 on the night), helping Seattle kill four penalties. Shots in the 2nd favored NY 11-7, and 19-10 through 40 minutes.
3rd Period
The Torrent enter their sixth period of play at home, looking for their first goal at CPA.
Trying to establish position in front, New York’s Elle Hartje was nabbed for cross-checking. Since the teams were already playing 4-on-4, the Torrent were gifted a lot of open ice for their third power play.
During the 5-on-4 portion of the player advantage, New York goalie Osborne made a spectacular stop on Danielle Serdachny’s left circle drive. At the other end, O’Neill’s breakaway for NY was diffused by Hannah Bilka’s sublime backcheck.
With 3:59 left, Kaltounková took the major penalty.
New York, on a four-minute game-ending penalty kill, became a blocking machine. Fillier had one. Roese had one. Micah Zandee-Hart had one. But in the final 1:24, they were out of blocks, and out of luck. Bilka assisted on both Torrent goals. Knight and Carpenter led Seattle with five shots apiece, and more importantly, one IN apiece.
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PWHL Photo
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Up Next
Three games remain on the Torrent’s inaugural homestand. Next up is a visit from the Ottawa Charge in two weeks, on Dec. 17. The league is taking an “international break” from Dec. 8-15, so players preparing for February’s Winter Olympics can participate in national team training and competition.
The 2025-26 PWHL regular season will also pause from Jan. 29 to Feb. 25, to coincide with the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Women’s hockey competition in Milano-Cortina takes place Feb. 5-19.